1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a micro robot system and a capsule endoscope system for examining a tubular digestive system, and more particularly, to a micro robot system and a capsule endoscope system for examining a tubular digestive system, in which a micro robot having a camera installed therein is drawn close to a wall of a tubular organ and driven to move, while rotating, in a straight line direction along a side surface of the wall of the tubular organ, thereby being capable of examining a disease on the wall of the organ with ease and accuracy.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional flexible streamlined endoscope, which is inserted through a mouth or anus to perform an examination, is difficult to handle and causes a patient's suffering. In order to solve these problems, a capsule endoscope, which is swallowed through the mouth and passed through a digestive system for examination by using peristalsis of the digestive system, is recently developed.
In an endoscope that is currently being commercialized and available for sale, the endoscope does not have a separate driving function and is moved through the peristalsis of the digestive system to obtain images of the digestive system. Here, since the capsule endoscope does not have a self-driving function and passively observes a front/rear of the capsule endoscope thereof, a disease on a wall of an organ may not be sufficiently observed when the organ has a lot of curvature.
Also, in case of an organ such as an esophagus or a small intestine that has a smaller diameter, a conventional capsule endoscope may move therein; however, in a part with a lot of curvature or an organ such as a large intestine that has a larger diameter, it is impossible for the conventional capsule endoscope to move therein. Also, since the conventional capsule endoscope moves only in a forward direction, it is difficult to detect a disease on the organ's wall.
In order to solve these problems, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2009-268639, titled “Capsule Endoscope,” by Olympus Co. is directed to attaching a camera along a longitudinal direction of the capsule endoscope to detect the disease on the organ's wall; however, since the capsule endoscope does not have self-driving capability and can be moved only by the peristalsis of the digestive system, many limitations exist. In addition, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2011-0052963, titled “Bi-directional Driving System for a Capsule Micro Robot,” by Korea Institute of Science and Technology discloses a mobile object and a leg that is coupled with the mobile object to move the mobile object such that forward and backward movement is enabled, thereby improving mobility; however, the capsule endoscope is still not pressed close to the wall such that examining the disease is still difficult in case of the organ having a large diameter.